Wikipedia

Twickenham Choral Society

Twickenham Choral Society (known today as Twickenham Choral) is a large, auditioned, mixed-voice, choir based in Twickenham, considered to be South West London's premier amateur choir.[1] Twickenham Choral is best known for the excellence and frequency of its performances,[2][3][4][5][6][7] which it has been delivering to local community and international audiences for over 100 years.[8]

Twickenham Choral Society
Choir
Twickenham Choral Society centenary commemoration logo
FoundedOctober 1921 (1921-10)
GenreClassical
Music directorHoward Ionascu
Websitewww.twickenhamchoral.org.uk/index.php

Beginnings

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There has been a Twickenham Choral Society since the mid-19th century,[9] staging songs in Twickenham and around London,[10] performing debuts from composers of the day,[11] as well as presenting much larger choral works.[12] The choir thrived until World War I,[13] when all trace of it disappears from the literature. Today's choir was founded in October 1921[n 1] and included both choral and orchestral sections, with the first post-war public performance in March 1922.[14] In its early years, the choir worked in association with the Royal Military School of Music (RMSM) at Kneller Hall under the direction of Charles Thornton Lofthouse.[15] In 1927, Hector Adkins, the Director of Music at Kneller Hall, became the conductor, until the outbreak of war in 1939 when the hall closed down.[16] The choir continued performing until late 1942, when activities were suspended for the duration of the war.[17]

The Twickenham Choral Society reformed in 1946 with its orchestra, renewing the relationship with the RMSM, which provided an ample supply of male vocalists and instrumentalists, which other choirs lacked.[8] The partnership didn't last long, however, and from 1954, Braden Hunwick led the choir through a series of Elgar works but without a permanent orchestra,[16] occasionally linking up with the Kneller Hall Band and Trumpeters.[18] Martin Neary continued the arrangement until 1972, when John Lubbock became the conductor and brought in the Orchestra of St John's Smith Square. In 1974, Christopher Herrick, a notable concert organist who studied conducting under Sir Adrian Boult, took up the baton for the choir, bringing in professional orchestral partnership with the Brandenburg Orchestras,[n 2] and restoring the name of the choir to the Twickenaham Choral Society in 1977.[19] Herrick combined forces with the Whitehall Choir to perform in Westminster Abbey and the Royal Albert Hall, notably a Verdi Requiem with six choirs totalling 500 singers.[20] Herrick retired from the choir as Conductor in 2024 after fifty years, succeeded by Howard Ionascu.[21]

Over the last century, the choir has hosted many notable members and performers, such as Noël Coward,[13] Richard Watson,[22] Rae Woodland,[23] Barry Wordsworth,[24] Peter Gellhorn, Sophie Bevan,[25] Mary Bevan,[26] Peter Auty,[27] Sarah Fox, as well as Isobel Baillie, Janet Baker, James Bowman, John Carol Case, Stephen Cleobury, Brian Kay, Philip Langridge, Felicity Lott, Jean Rigby, John Shirley-Quirk, Roderick Williams, Barry Wordsworth, Maurice Bevan, Timothy West and Prunella Scales.[8]

The choir today

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The choir stages three to four concerts each year with professional musicians and soloists. Many of these concerts are held locally at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington, with St Martin-in-the-Fields and Cadogan Hall providing the main venue in the West End of London.[28][8] The choir is led by the conductor (Howard Ionascu),[29] supported by an assistant conductor (Daniel King Smith),[1] who also accompanies rehearsals.[30] The conductor contributes to the choice of music to be performed, auditions new and existing members,[n 3] directs rehearsals, interpreting the score by setting the tempo and the dynamics, ensuring correct entries by ensemble members, and "shaping" the phrasing where appropriate.[32] The choir performs popular oratorios, as well as lesser known Renaissance to present day pieces. Eminent Composers of the day occasionally debut their own work with the choir, with premières by Holloway, Spicer, Farrington, Panufnik and others.[1][33] The choir maintains a busy schedule today, performing around London,[n 4] and touring European cities from Paris to Prague, from Budapest to Salamanca.[1]

Governance

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The charitable purpose of the society is the promotion of the public education in the art and science of Choral music by the presentation of public concerts and recitals.[34] The choir achieves this by staging several performances a year around London and Europe, participating in music festivals and commissioning music. The Society is administered by a committee of 12 elected volunteers, with three elected Trustees who govern the UK registered charity.[35] Trustees 2024/25 are:

  1. Chair – Helen Coulson
  2. Secretary – Gillian Zettle
  3. Treasurer – Timothy Lidbetter

Trustees and committee members are elected at an Annual general meeting, held to review a statement of accounts and any notices appropriate to general governance. The choir is funded by subscriptions, box office takings, grants and sponsorship. The choir has a patron/president, who provides tone and visibility to the choir and is currently Tristan Fry.

Notes

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  1. ^ called the Twickenham Musical Society from 1922, the choir was renamed the Twickenham Choral Society in 1977
  2. ^ the Brandenburg Sinfonia and Brandenburg Baroque Soloists
  3. ^ repeated auditions are unusual for amateur choirs; auditions were introduced by Christopher Herrick "signalling that the choir is serious in its musical ambitions"[31]
  4. ^ e.g. St Martin-in-the-Fields, St John's, Smith Square, Cadogan Hall

References

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  1. ^ a b c Millar, Bruce (15 July 2024). "Find Your Voice". the Richmond Magazine (August ed.): 18. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. ^ Anon, Anon (December 1982). "Their finest hours". Music. Richmond and Twickenham Times.
  3. ^ Anon (15 July 1988). "Twickenham Coral Society: Memorable Sounds!". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Richmond and Twickenham Times.
  4. ^ Tims, Hilton (30 April 1991). "Powerful mix od Mass and organ". Review of concert on 27th April 1991. Sure Comet. Surrey Comet.
  5. ^ Anon (July 1994). "The Rolls Royce of our local choirs". Surrey Comet. Surrey Comet.
  6. ^ Bevan, Maurice (21 December 2001). "Twickenham Choral Society: Uplifting Experience". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Richmond and Twickenham Times.
  7. ^ Tims, Hilton (27 June 2003). "Heroic Herrick". Classical Music. Surrey Comet. Surrey Comet.
  8. ^ a b c d Mumford, Adrian; Herrick, Sarah (2022). Twickenham Choral Centenary. Twickenham Library: Twickenham Library. p. 43.
  9. ^ Anon (12 February 1870). "Table Talk". No. 283. Messrs. Conacher & Co., Organ Factory, Huddersfield. The Musical Standard. p. 87.
  10. ^ Advertisement (10 April 1875). "My Sweetheart When a Boy". Open Court Publishing Co. The Musical World.
  11. ^ Casper, C.A. (1 March 1886). "Reviews". Musical Times Publications, Ltd. The Musical Times.
  12. ^ Opinions (6 March 1886). "Concerts". Open Court Publishing Co. Orchestra and Musical Education. pp. 580–581.
  13. ^ a b Hoare, Philip (1995). Noël Coward – a biography (1998 ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 8. ISBN 0226345122.
  14. ^ Anon. "MENDELSSOHN'S ELIJAH SATURDAY, 12TH MARCH 2022". ARTS Richmond. Richmond upon Thames Arts Council. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  15. ^ Anon (1924). "The Royal Collegian Abroad (London)". The RCM Magazine (1923 Term). 20 (1): 19.
  16. ^ a b Greenwood, Howard (2002). All kinds of musick : the first 40 years of the Richmond Concert Society. Twickenham: Atwater Press. p. 12. ISBN 0953884015.
  17. ^ Mumford & Herrick, 2022, Op. Cit, p.8
  18. ^ Anon (15 May 1968). "Music and Ballet (schedule)". Punch. 254 (6662): 8.
  19. ^ Harris, Robert (8 April 1977). "Grand and spacious from the beginning". Music. Richmond and Twickenham Times. Richmond and Twickenham Times.
  20. ^ Anon. "Whitehall Choir nears 60 – a brief history" (PDF). Whitehall Choir. Whitehall Choir a registered charity (no. 280478). Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  21. ^ Ionascu, Howard. "Howard Ionascu". Howard Ionascu. Howard Ionascu. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  22. ^ Anon (1928). "Programme of Concert – Held at The Town Hall, Twickenham, on Tuesday, 27th March, 1928" (Concert Programme). Twickenham Musical Society. Twickenham Musical Society.
  23. ^ Anon (1963). "Mass in B Minor – The Church of All Hallows, Saturday, 30th November, 1963" (Concert Programme). Twickenham Musical Society. Twickenham Musical Society.
  24. ^ Anon (1966). "Messiah – The Church of All Hallows, Saturday, 14th May 1966" (Concert Programme). Twickenham Musical Society. Twickenham Musical Society.
  25. ^ Anon (2010). "Twickenham Choral Society" (Concert Programme). Yumpu. Yumpu. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  26. ^ Mumford, Adrian (2015). "Twickenham Choral Society" (Concert Programme). Paper ZZ. Paper ZZ. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  27. ^ Anon (2015). "ST JOHN'S SMITH SQUARE – 2015/16 SeaSon" (PDF) (Pamphlet). No. 2015/2106 season. St John's Smith Square Charitable Trust. St John's Smith Square Charitable Trust. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  28. ^ Anon. "Cadogan Hall". Cadogan Hall. Cadogan Hall. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  29. ^ Anon. "Howard Ionascu appointed Musical Director and Conductor of Twickenham Choral". Twickenham Choral. Twickenham Choral. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  30. ^ Mumford & Herrick, 2022, Op. Cit, p.42
  31. ^ Mumford & Herrick, 2022, Op. Cit, p.21
  32. ^ Kennedy, Michael; Bourne Kennedy, Joyce (2007). "Conducting". Oxford Concise Dictionary of Music (Fifth ed.). Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN 9780199203833.
  33. ^ Dunnett, Roderick (21 July 2009). "Great War poems in Kingston". Church Times. Hymns Ancient & Modern. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  34. ^ UK Government. "Twickenham Choral Society". Charity Commission for England and Wales. UK Government. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  35. ^ UK Government. "Twickenham Choral Society (Trustees)". Charity Commission for England and Wales. UK Government. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
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